Mário Cláudio wins Prize for Romance and Novel
Mário Cláudio was distinguished by the book ‘Triptych of Salvation’, chosen by a jury made up of teachers, writers and essayists José Manuel de Vasconcelos, Ana Paula Arnaut, António Pedro Pita, Cândido Oliveira Martins, Isabel Cristina Rodrigues and José Carlos Seabra Pereira.
This is the third time that Mário Cláudio has won the APE Grand Prix, after winning it in 1984, with ‘Amadeo‘, and in 2014, with ‘Retrato de Rapaz‘.
Mário Cláudio is the literary pseudonym of Rui Manuel Pinto Barbot Costa, born in 1941, in Porto. He graduated in law and launched his first book in 1969, a poetry book entitled “Ciclo de Cypris“.
At the end of last year, he received the title of ‘honoris causa‘ from the University of Porto, for his 50 years of literary life and for the civic collaboration he develops from that city.
The selection of Mário Cláudio, by the jury of this edition of the award, was not unanimous, because Isabel Cristina Rodrigues voted for ‘A Visão das Plantas‘, by Djaimilia Pereira de Almeida, one of the finalists.
The other finalists of the award, announced by APE, were ‘O Gesto que Fazemos para Proteger a Cabeça’, by Ana Margarida de Carvalho, ‘Homem de Pó’, by António Tavares, and ‘A Luz de Pequim‘, by Francisco José Viegas .
The Grand Prize for Romance and Novela, instituted in 1982 and with 15 thousand euros of monetary value, is an initiative of APE with the support of the Directorate-General for Books, Archives and Libraries (DGLAB), of the Municipality of Grândola, of the Foundation Calouste Gulbenkian and Camões Institute.
The award ceremony will be attended by the Secretary of State for Cinema, Audiovisual and Media, Nuno Artur Silva.
